Suburban voters weigh in on ballot questions

Home rule put to test in at least 3 towns

Karen Kelly maneuvers to the next available election judge before voting at the American Legion Post 80 in Downers Grove. (Chuck Berman, Chicago Tribune)

Suburban voters this week not only chose their leaders but voiced their opinions on how much power to give them.

Referendum questions on ballots Tuesday asked voters about measures that included whether elected officials should be allowed to hold more than one office at a time and whether specific communities should have home rule status.

A little more than 90 percent of DuPage County voters, 90.3 percent of McHenry County voters and 77.5 percent of Elmhurst voters said officials should not be allowed to hold two or more elected positions simultaneously.

DuPage County Chairman Dan Cronin said Wednesday the results send a clear message to those running for office and state lawmakers that it's a bad idea.

Homer Glen voters were asked Tuesday for input on how they are governed, and unofficial results show 74.6 percent chose to continue home rule powers, giving local leaders more leeway to enact certain laws.

But voters in Kenilworth, on the North Shore, opposed home rule authority. The measure was intended to generate fees and transfer taxes to fund up to $20 million in repairs. The referendum was rejected by nearly 61.8 percent of voters, unofficial tallies show.

In Westmont, about 51.5 percent of voters decided to cease home rule status, but village officials say many questions remain, including determining the fate of laws that have been enacted under home rule.

About 72 percent of voters in south suburban Tinley Park favored term limits on the village's elected officials, an advisory initiative backed by attorney Steve Eberhardt, who has announced plans to run against eight-term incumbent Mayor Ed Zabrocki.

"It's not going to fall through the cracks, I can tell you that," said Zabrocki, who opposes limits.

Policing was among the topics in Winfield. More than 87 percent of voters supported keeping the west suburb's department, but 66.8 percent appeared to vote down a property tax increase that would have helped fund its 19-member force, pension obligations and road repairs, unofficial vote totals show.

In other suburban races where outcomes weren't apparent in Wednesday's editions:

•Blue Island residents rejected a proposal to give the city the authority to find an electricity supplier for residents and small businesses. The vote was 2,904 to 2,831, according to unofficial results.